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It’s what Toyota bills as the first hybrid four-wheel drive in the world – and it owes a lot to the progress they’ve made on the Prius hybrid sedan. Like the Prius, the six-seater HV-M4 uses both a gas engine and batteries in tandem to provide leaner, cleaner power. But in the HV-M4, there’s a new twist: all-wheel drive. The HV-M4 uses a pair of electric motors and a CVT to extract the most efficiency out of its 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. Under light loads, the batteries are used to power the electric motors at both the front and rear axles; under heavier loads, the engine is used to supply the thrust. Under very heavy acceleration loads, both are used. To engage its four-wheel drive, the HV-M4 senses when a wheel is slipping, diverts enough energy from the spinning wheel to reduce its spin – and sending the extra power to the rear wheels to even out traction.
Source: www.thecarconnection.com
Image Source: Toyota Motor Corporation
